


The Draining Hourglass

by romeoandjulietyouwish



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family, Hugs, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Love, M/M, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Protective Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Soooooo much crying, Team as Family, They Both Die at the End AU, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, aka the au nobody asked for, seriously lots of angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-06-23 15:17:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19704031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/romeoandjulietyouwish/pseuds/romeoandjulietyouwish
Summary: At 5:23 am Peter gets a call telling him he's going to die. Twenty minutes later, Harley gets one too. They're going to die.(AKA the 'They Both Die at the End' AU nobody asked for) if you don't know what that is, I explain everything in the notes of the first chapter.





	1. The Call

**Author's Note:**

> 'They Both Die at the End' is a book written by Adam Silvera (please read it, it's amazing). 
> 
> In the book, there is this company called Death-Cast who calls people on the day they're going to die to let them know ahead of time. The way the company gets this information is unclear. One word you're going to need to know is Decker. A Decker is someone who got the call from Death-Cast.
> 
> If you don't understand please leave a comment or message me on tumblr: @romeoandjulietyouwish

Peter’s phone rings at exactly 5:23 am on Saturday morning. He blinks his eyes open and grasps for his phone in the dark. Then he realizes that it’s not his normal phone ringtone, it sounds like tolling church bells. His hand still for a moment as his brain catches up, then Peter’s heart plummets to the ground. With a shaking hand, he reaches out and holds the phone to his ear.

“Hello?” He answers, his voice husky from sleep, trembling slightly.

“Hello, I am calling from Death-Cast. My name is Nigel, are you Peter Parker?” The man on the phone asks, his voice cold.

“Yes-yes, I am,” Peter stutters. His heart pounds heavily in his chest, all his hopes gone, they have the right phone number. He takes slowly breathes, trying to calm himself down. There’s obviously been a mistake. 

“Peter, I am calling to inform you that sometime in the next 24-hours you will meet an untimely death. And while there isn’t anything we can do to prevent that, you still have time to live,” the man says, his voice devoid of any emotion. Peter digs his fingers into his leg, maybe it’s just a dream. If he can just wake himself up...no luck. Peter tunes back into what the man is saying, knowing that it’s important. “Would you like me to read you a list of Decker-friendly activities for today?” He asks. 

It takes Peter a moment to recognize that Nigel just asked him a question, “N-no, thank you.” All Peter wants is to scream, to cry, and to get off the damn phone with someone who couldn’t give less of a shit that he’s about to die. He takes a deep breath.

“Alright, then you can log onto Death-Cast.com to fill out any special requests you have for your funeral and the inscription for your tombstone.” Peter wants to throw up. “If you do not want a headstone, you will find other options available on our website.”

“Okay,” Peter says so softly that he doesn’t even think that Nigel hears him. 

“On behalf of everyone here at Death-Cast, we are sorry to lose you, Peter. Live today to the fullest, alright?” The man says, a small bit of sympathy infecting his last sentence. He hangs up. 

Peter remains frozen in the few seconds after the phone call ends. He’s going to die. He’s never going to get married, or be an Avenger, or graduate high school. He’s never going to tell his boyfriend that he loves. He’s never going to tell Tony that he loves him or that he thinks of him like a dad. He’s never, he’s never, he’s never-

Then he screams. It rips through the silence that previously filled the room, shaking the walls with the emotion behind it. Peter throws his phone against the wall, it falls to the ground but doesn’t break. His pillows follow his phone, then some books, and a small reading light. Peter screams and sobs. His face is blotchy and red, tears coating his cheeks.

“Peter?” His door opens and May walks in, her face etched with concern. “What’s going on?”

Peter shakes his head and sinks back down on his bed, his whole body shaking. “I’m gonna die,” he whispers. May’s hand flies to her mouth and her eyes filled with tears. She kneels down in front of Peter and pulls him into a tight hug, nearly squeezing the air out of him. Peter sobs against her shoulder, his cries resounding through the apartment. “I’m gonna die,” he whispers again, his voice cracks painfully. 

Across the city, Harley sits on his bed. It’s still dark outside, and Harley hasn’t bothered to turn on any lights. He stares at the phone in his hand and then back up at the wall across from him. 

Harley’s mind is blank. 

He blinks his eyes and lets his gaze drop in and out of focus. Oh, he tells himself, I’m in shock. He looks down at the phone in his hand and turns it on. The bright screen illuminates his face in the dark. He opens his phone and looks at his recent call list, just to be sure. The first one listed is Death-Cast, the call ended twenty minutes ago.

“FRIDAY, get Tony,” Harley says, finding his voice. 

“He’s on his way,” FRIDAY replied solemnly. And Harley remembers that FRIDAY knows everything that goes on in the building, she heard the phone call.

Tony arrives at Harley’s door in less than a minute, it’s clear from the way his brow is furrowed in confusion that FRIDAY didn’t tell him what’s going on. Tony flicks on the light switch, bathing the room in warm light. He walks slowly towards Harley like he’s a frightened animal. “Harley?”

Harley says nothing, just holds his phone out to Tony, the recent phone calls still open. Tony looks down at the phone, then to Harley, and back down at the phone. 

“Is this real?” Tony asks. Harley nods. “Shit,” Tony swears. “Shit.” Harley nods in agreement. Slowly, Tony begins to pace, walking the length of the room. He mutters to himself rapidly, he walks faster and faster until he spins to look at Harley. “How are you not freaking out?”  
Harley shrugs, “It doesn’t feel real.” Then Harley’s phone rings again, his heart stills in his chest for a second before he sees the caller ID. It’s Peter. “Hello?” Harley answers. 

“Harley,” Peter’s voice is scratchy like it was after they went to that rock concert together and they had lost their voices, “I need to tell you something,” Harley says nothing. “Harley, I just got a call from Death-Cast and I-”

The phone drops from Harley’s hand and he sinks down to the ground. Not Peter. Not him too. Harley can vaguely hear Peter on the other line and he knows Tony is trying to get his attention, but he can’t force himself to listen. Tears fall quickly down his cheeks, he’s going to die. And so is Peter.


	2. The Tower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this! I am thrilled with how many people read and enjoyed the first chapter! I really enjoy writing this and I'm so excited.

When Peter hears Harley’s phone thump to the ground, he stops talking. “Harley?” He asks after a moment, his voice no louder than a whisper. May tightens her arms around her nephew, rubbing his arm gently. Over the line, Peter can hear someone mumbling and then a muffled sound as the phone is picked up.

“Peter?” Tony’s voice is filled with concern. “Are you there?” Peter nearly sobs at the sound of his mentor’s voice. 

“Tony,” his voice is soft and hoarse. “Tony, I’m sorry, I-I-I”

“Peter, take a deep breath. Are you okay?”

Peter shakes his head, falling deeper into May’s arms, “No, no I’m-” Peter’s breath stops and he gasps for air. “I’m-I’m d-” Peter can’t breathe. He can hear May trying to get him to calm down, but it’s not working. He shoves the phone into May’s hand and forces himself to stumble to the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. Peter slides down the wooden door and onto the ground. He digs his hands into his hair, he heart nearly pounding out of his chest. _I’m having a panic attack_ , he tells himself.

_Five things I can see_ , he begins. His eyes whip around the room. Tile. Shower. Sink. Towell. Toilet. 

_Four things I can touch._ Peter drags his hands over his soft pajama pants, feeling each fiber. Then to his warm skin, to the ice-cold tile. Peter nearly panics when he can’t find another, but then his fingers brush against the wood of the cabinet. He feels up and down the grain, memorizing the comforting pattern. 

_Three things I can hear. _He squeezes his eyes shut and focuses. He can hear his breathing, and May talking quietly in his bedroom, and the quiet hum of the fridge running.__

___Two things I can smell._ Sweat, the lavender shampoo May likes. _ _

___One thing I can taste._ Blood. He must have bitten through his lip._ _

__Peter takes a few more even breathes before sitting up, his head knocking against the door. He can feel his panic swirling away, but the knot of anxiety in his stomach doesn’t. He nearly jumps out of his skin when May knocks on his door, sharp and fast._ _

__“Peter? Are you alright?” And from the way her voice sounds, Peter can tell that she is expecting the worse. To open the door and find his dead body._ _

__“No,” Peter moans. He moves away from the door so she can open it. The hinges creak and May crouches down beside him. May kisses his cheek and pulls him into her arms, tucking his head under his chin. Peter closes his eyes and focuses on the way May smells, familiar and comforting. The way her soft breathing feels pressed into her hugs._ _

__“What’s wrong?”_ _

__“Panic attack,” Peter mutters._ _

__May nods in understanding, kissing the top of his head. After a moment she says, “Peter, Tony wants us to meet him at the tower asap. I told him that I would ask you. If you’re up for it, we can go.”_ _

__Peter nods, “I need to see Harley and Tony.” May nods and when Peter looks up at her, she’s biting her lip. “Is something wrong?”_ _

__“Nothing, baby,” May says, brushing his hair out of his eyes. “Why don’t you get ready, I’ll make some breakfast, huh?”_ _

__Peter nods but as she starts to stand, he grabs her wrist, “No heat.” May nods and drops a kiss on the top of his head._ _

__Peter takes a deep breath and stands up. He showers, not turning the heat up to more than lukewarm and dries his feet off completely before stepping out of the shower. As he goes through the rest of his routine, his mind forces him to think of all the ways he can die before he even leaves the apartment. He could fall and crack his head against the hard floor, he could get electrocuted by turning on lights, he could accidentally swallow his toothpaste and be poisoned._ _

__Peter shoves these thoughts out of his brain and thinks instead of his Uncle Ben. On the day Uncle Ben got the call, he didn’t cry. May and Peter did, but Ben didn’t. Ben told them that he wanted to live this day exactly like every other one. So he packed Peter and May’s lunches, got dressed and went to work. Peter kept his ringer on all day, expecting to get a call, but he didn’t. When he got home, Uncle Ben was already there. He sprinted into his arms and Uncle Ben let him cry. A small part of him began to wonder if Death Cast got it wrong. Maybe they did._ _

__Then Uncle Ben died in his arms._ _

__Peter shakes his head furiously to dismiss the thoughts. He finishes pulling on his shirt and walks into the kitchen. May gives him a sad smile and passes him a bowl of cereal._ _

__“Eat up,” she says._ _

__By the time they’re ready to leave, it’s about 6:00. May gently leads Peter down the stairs where Happy is waiting outside. Peter ducks into the car first, he sits in the middle seat, just in case. May and Happy exchange soft words before May follows Peter into the backseat._ _

__Before Happy puts up the divider, Peter can see Happy’s red eyes through the mirror._ _

__Peter stares out the window, wanting to memorize everything he sees from the businessman rushing to work to the fluffy dogs on a morning run with their owners, to the warm scent of fresh bread coming from his favorite bakery. But it quickly becomes a blur, one person looks the same as the next and nothing stands out anymore. Peter looks away from the window._ _

__It takes about ten minutes longer than usual to get to the tower, Peter realizes pretty quickly that it’s because of how carefully Happy is driving. When the car pulls into the garage, Happy opens the door and immediately hugs the boy tight. Peter smiles, his eyes closing. Happy has never hugged him before._ _

__“I’m so sorry, kid,” Happy says softly._ _

__“I know.”_ _

__Happy lets go of Peter with shining eyes and leads him and May to the elevator. No one says anything, but May silently takes his hand when she sees Peter staring intently up. As if he could see the cables through the ceiling._ _

__When the doors open, Peter nearly sprints out, almost running into Harley and Tony. As Peter looks over their faces, his gaze lingers on their eyes. Bloodshot. Peter tucks himself into Tony’s arms, finding comfort in the way the man’s embrace swallows him. Tony rests his cheek on Peter’s head and Peter can feel the man’s warm tears. He desperately clutches himself closer to Tony, tucking his head against his chest. Peter pulls away slowly, allowing Tony to press a kiss to the top of his head._ _

__As Peter turns to Harley, who’s sadness mirrors his own, Tony and May embrace tightly._ _

__Harley closes the space between them, his arms easily wrapping around Peter and pulling him close. Peter’s head falls on Harley’s shoulder, his nose pressed against his neck. Harley’s heartbeat is even and calm, Peter finds comfort in its stability._ _

__“Let’s go to the living room,” Tony says. Peter nods and Harley takes his hand. Peter and Harley sit close together with Tony, May, and Happy all across from them. Tony begins. “It’s a tradition for the family and friends of...Deckers,” he takes a slow breath, “to-to have a, um, a f-funeral of sorts before they...pass on.” Happy squeezes Tony’s arm in support. TOny bits his lip and gives himself a moment before saying, “I just want to know if you boys want yours to be separate or together.”_ _

__Peter furrows his brow, “Why would we have one together? I’m the only one dying today.” The room falls silent. Peter looks around at their faces for a moment before looking to Harley. Harley is looking down at this lap. “No. No!” Peter jumps to his feet, backing away from the group._ _

__Harley starts to follow him, “Pete-”_ _

__“No,” Peter mumbles over and over. He angrily wipes away the tears streaming down his face. “You’re supposed to be okay,” his voice is quiet. He doesn’t even notice he’s on the ground until Harley crouches in front of him._ _

__Harley wraps his arms around Peter, ignoring the way Peter is trying to free himself from his grasp. The punches Peter is throwing, don’t hurt him in the slightest._ _

__“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Harley soothes, tears flowing freely down his cheeks. Peter keeps pushing and punching Harley, but Harley doesn’t let go. After a moment, Peter collapses into Harley’s arms, sobbing._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, feel free to hmu with any questions or comments on this fic or on my tumblr! 
> 
> @romeoandjulietyouwish


	3. Headstone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo, this took so much longer than I wanted it too, but I kept getting distracted! I'm sorry! I have to be in the right mindset to write this and I was just kind of busy and out of it this past week. Thank you to all of you who left such supportive and kind comments on these past chapters, y'all really kept me going!

“You’re alright,” Harley says softly to Peter, gently rocking him in his arms. “We’re going to be okay, I promise.” Peter nudges his nose against Harley’s chin, pressing himself closer to his boyfriend.

“I’m-I’m afraid,” Peter whispers so quietly, he doesn’t know if Harley will even hear it. 

“You don’t need to be afraid, Pete,” Harley kisses the top of Peter’s head. “We’re surrounded by our family, they won’t let anything hurt us.”

“I don’t want you to die,” Peter chokes out. “I don’t want you to die-”

“Shh, I know. But we’re going to be alright.”

Peter looks up when he feels another hand on his back, “He’s right, kid.” Tony is kneeling beside the two boys, his eyes red, but still soft. “You are going to be okay, both of you.”

“How can you say that?” Peter exclaims. He lets himself fall out of Harley’s arms and onto the clod floor. “How can you say that when we’re going to die today?”

“Peter-” Tony tries to reach for him, but Peter scrambles away.

“No,” Peter says angrily. He slowly stands to his feet, Harley and Tony following suit. Peter’s eyes glance at everyone in the room before his gaze drops to his shoes. “I think I need to be alone for a while. Is that okay?”

May nods with a soft smile, “Of course it’s okay, baby. Take as much time as you need.” Peter doesn’t look up as he walks away from them. He doesn’t want to see the pain in Harley, May, Tony, and Happy’s eyes. It would hurt too much.

Peter walks slowly into his room, leaving his door open behind him, and tucks himself under a pile of blankets on his bed. He wipes his mind blank, thinking instead of the comfort the pressure of the blankets provide and the way he can feel his breath bouncing off of the blankets. He manages to stay there for a good two minutes before thoughts begin to swirl through his mind again. All of them about how he could be smothered to death by his blankets or get overheated and die of exhaustion. 

He throws the blankets off of himself and scrambles onto the floor, pulling his legs to his chest protectively. His heart thunders in his chest, he wouldn’t be surprised if they could hear it the room over.

“You seem to be in distress, Peter, would you like me to alert someone?” FRIDAY asks sweetly. 

Peter shakes his head, “I’m alright, FRI.” He takes soft breaths in and out. It takes him a few minutes to be able to lift himself off the floor and towards his desk. When he sits down at his desk, he quickly navigates to the Death-Cast website before he changes his mind. He enters his name and date of birth and suddenly he is faced with a form. 

**Hello, Peter Parker. On behalf of everyone here at Death-Cast, we are sorry to lose you. Please fill out this form so your wishes for your burial can be met by your family and friends.**

**Question 1: Would you like a headstone?**

Peter’s hands start shaking, but he forces them still against the table. He checks yes. 

**Question 2: Other than your name, what you would like to be written on your headstone.**

Peter closes his eyes what could he possibly write? This is how people are going to remember him for years to come. He has to sum himself and his life up in one sentence. How can anyone do that? A knock at his door interrupts his thoughts. He turns around in the chair to see Tony standing in the doorway. 

He gives the boy a sad smile, “Hey, kid. I know you said you wanted to be alone, but I-”

“It’s alright,” Peter says. Seeing how distraught Tony is, he realizes how insensitive he’s being. Sure he’s dying, but he’s leaving so many people behind. So many people who he should have outlived. His mentor who is losing two sons today. Tony walks into the room and over to Peter, his breath catches in his throat when he sees what Peter’s doing. 

“Peter...”

“I figured I’d get it over with. I need to do it eventually, make it as easy as possible for you guys-” Peter is cut off by Tony pulling him into a tight hug.

“I’m so sorry, Peter,” Tony says softly. “I wish there was something I could do...”

“There is,” Peter pulls slightly out of the hug. “And I know it’s unfair to ask you to do this but I can’t think of anyone better to do it than you.” Tony tips his head to the side in curiosity and Peter gestures to the screen with the box still empty. 

Tony freezes, “Kid-”

“It’s okay if you can’t. I’m sorry that I did-”

“Peter.” Tony takes Peter’s hands in his own, stilling his movement. “Of course I’ll help you and I even have an idea, there’s just something I need to ask you first. Okay?” Peter nods. “After you...” Tony takes a slow breath, fighting off tears, “After you...die, do you want us to reveal you as Spiderman?”

Peter looks down, he hadn’t even thought about that, but he makes up his mind quickly, “Yes. They deserve to know.”

Tony nods, “Okay then.” He reaches over and types something into the box, Peter’s eyes follow his writing. 

**The hero we never knew we needed.**

Peter throws his arms around Tony, burying his head against the man’s shoulder. “Thank you, Tony.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this!
> 
> I am on tumblr: @romeoandjulietyouwish
> 
> I am accepting writing prompts on my tumblr for short parkner and irondad fics until July 25th!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading this! It's a little unusual from what I normally write, but I've been wanting to write an AU for a while now. I am so excited about this fic and I can't wait for y'all to read it!


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